Archives for September 2010

…and as usual, I am right in the middle of it trying to keep in contact with a thread of sanity. Did I hear that Gautam Buddha once said, "The Truth is whatever works"? So I am working on this Truth thing, promising myself that maybe I will one day work hard enough and then just sort of let out a big sighhhhhhh and tumble and weave my way into the relaxed omni-present Ultimate Truth…OK…that works for me! That must be the Truth. So I am in the mix, getting things done in and out of the studio, leading tours of the property, feeding all the animals, listening to all the music on the iPod for the zillionth time and trying to get some rest…not to mention the remarkable dreams and going to Baltimore next week and returning home to get back to work for another gig in Pozos in early November…so quickly…this is the scoop: there is a mouse loose in my studio…none of the dogs that lounge all day in the studio seem to care…so this week there was a repeat for Pet of the Week and it is Perla…who really knows how to lounge….and since we are on the subject of truth…well the reason Perla won this week is because I love this photo of her….Love……

…while browsing through somewhere unimportant and digital. To paraphrase: "once I no longer was defensive…the War was over"…I like that and have latched on to it…I am not going to have buttons made with this phrase emblazoned upon them…but I am going to try fitting into these words. My mind loves to wander and judge and hook into one story after another. To me…that is the War…but if I surrender the fight and not try to engage or defend myself from this addictive behavior…but just befriend and witness without a need to "get better" in my thought processes…then maybe…quite possibly…and if I want to accept the entire enchilada…I will awaken fromm a life of "what was" or "what could be" and enter the the gates of "what is". Our old pal Buddha did this before the Buddhists got a hold of him…he just sat there in a cool balm of "isness" and that was all for him…neither this nor that…ah…the possibility…our dog Perla inhabits a Sea of Isness…she's just dog nature…neither this nor that..just "dogness" and she is this Week's Pet of the Week here in Groovlandia….

…with these photos, for a glimpse…just a glimpse of the interior of the Chapel of Jimmy Ray. The gallery is evolving poco a poco. Right now I have some major commitments in my studio and venues showing my work and we are slowing down again on finishing the gallery. The fact that we have gotten this far is a miracle in the very least…..I remember years ago in India, in the late eighties…the tail end of my time with Bhagwan before he died. During evening meditations, he would encourage us to "go inside with an urgency"…that "urgency" was the key word. Oftentimes over the years, that urgency has take a back seat to whatever I had going on. Lately, I am again reminded of that urgeny…that urgency.

….here are some photos of what the Chapel of Jimmy Ray is evolving into…We hope to have it finished by late March of 2011…knowing me….it will always be in flux. It blows my mind that we have gotten this far. I forgot my keys this morning and was unable to take any interior shots….perhaps this afternoon. Richard has me on a short leash as far as the interior is concerned…sigh…..but it will be understated for the art to Pop! And Crackle!

…remember that song? Ian and Sylvia…like 67? Before Sunshine acid and Altamont and the weird scenes of wonder sparked by a bad acid/alcohol mix that drowned the Summer of Lust…I mean Love? Well Love still lives with these two divine cats…..Sueño and Malinche…the Co-Pets of the Week…So I am just gonna get up today and sing and hummm and remind myself of never having caught the proverbial rainbow…but Love did find me….Gracias por Todo for this life
with Richard and all our critters and friends world wide…

…there is waiting. A witness to the progressive spirit. It's there all the time. I know because that which is not me or I has experienced this. The experience was fleeting…but there are glimpses every now and then. The idea of putting any of this into words is missing the point entirely…but I plod on in my peripheral discovery. The creative process offers a glimpse into that which has no name…the nameless immersion…the silent return. Years ago in India, a man of such limitless Nature, encouraged me (or the witness) to "come back". At that time I interpreted his offer as a momentary thing. Now, over 30 years later, I have a profound hunch that his offer was an invitation to that which is nameless…….My studio is a temple,a waiting room…a place where I go to rekindle that invitation.